Parking, traffic concerns lead committee to table Legado project

A RENDERING OF LEGADO’s proposed mixed-used development at 138 Culver Blvd. in Playa del Rey.

By Gary Walker
Citing disappointment with a traffic study and a string of missed opportunities to demonstrate how the developer was willing to work with Playa del Rey residents, the Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa’s Planning and Land Use Committee tabled a vote on a proposed project by the Legado Co. July 16.
Legado, a development and real estate firm owned by the family of Edward Czuker, was seeking approval to construct a 72-apartment mixed-use project with 16,000 square feet of retail space that the company calls Legado Del Mar at 138 Culver Blvd., a triangular shaped parcel known to locals as “Jake’s Lot.”
There are plans to have a two-story subterranean parking structure at the mixed-use development.
Legado owns several parcels in downtown Playa del Rey, including two potential development sites within close proximity to 138 Culver Blvd.
Committee member David Voss announced he would not be voting in favor of the project after two of his committee colleagues had spoken, due largely in part to a traffic study that he soundly criticized. The plan calls for adding an additional left-turn signal to Nicholson Street that would allow more traffic to move onto Pershing Avenue.
“This two-lane (proposal) cannot be justified by the project,” he stated, waving the study.
Voss, a former West Los Angeles Area Planning commissioner, said the traffic study assumes unproven facts such as the final stages of the commercial and retail component of the planned community of Playa Vista, scheduled to be completed by 2015.
“I categorically reject the building of two lanes on Nicholson and categorically reject the presumptions that it assumes,” Voss asserted.
Nicholson has been the site of many accidents, some fatal, in Playa del Rey. Most recently, Venice resident Brigitte Burdine, a video game casting director, was killed by a hit and run motorist near Nicholson Dec. 29, 2010 while walking eastbound on Culver.
The Legado project does have supporters, who think it has the potential to enhance a community in need of a facelift.
“I’m pleased to hear there has been a move to develop the site,” said Fredi Siegel, a Playa del Rey resident. “I see this as a move to make Playa del Rey a more vibrant community.”
LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Christina Davis said her organization welcomed the proposed development and revitalization of Jake’s Lot.
“The chamber is also urging all developers of new projects to incorporate a local hiring program, to the extent possible,” she said.
But there has also been a great deal of anxiety surrounding the projects and in some cases, outright opposition.
Michael Gemme, who lives on Montreal Street near the project site, told the committee that he was awakened by construction noise that occurred before 7 a.m., the earliest time that construction can begin. Gemme said he and his neighbors were not notified that Legado was beginning preliminary work at the project site.
“These people do not care about our community,” Gemme asserted.
He also took issue with the planned subterranean garage. “Two stories underground, with this water table? That’s ridiculous,” he said.
Residents of “the Jungle,” a collection of apartment buildings and homes next to the Jake’s Lot parcel, say one complex that has underground parking frequently has trouble with flooding during rains and high tides.
Committee member Cheryl Burnett, who lives in Playa del Rey, said not taking a vote on the project was a no-brainer after hearing from Czuker’s representatives. “We had no choice except to table the motion,” she said.
Burnett was also dismayed that no additional parking had been included in Legado’s presentation.
“The more that we meet with Legado the worse the project gets,” she told the developer’s representatives. “The fact that there is no mitigation for parking is beyond me.”
Parking and traffic are the two biggest problems the community faces, several residents have said in prior meetings with Derek Jones, who was in charge of the Playa del Rey projects for Legado last year.
Calls to Legado representatives for comment on the traffic study, the committee’s remarks on their presentation and its decision not to vote on their project were referred to Benjamin Reznik, an attorney with the Century City law firm of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell LLP.
Reznik, who is the spokesman for the Playa del Rey project, said the developer is in the early stages of the project and his client will be ready to answer all the committee’s questions the next time that Legado makes a presentation.
“We will have responses to everything that was raised at the meeting,” Reznik told The Argonaut.
The developer’s representatives did not mention an environmental analysis at the meeting. Former Legado chief operating officer Jones, who represented the developer until last year, indicated at prior meetings that he did not think a complete environmental impact report was necessary for the project site.
“Given the proximity of the parcels to each other, we would like to see a full environmental review,” Burnett said. “We need to understand all of the impacts that these developments can have on our small community.”
Former Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl called on city Planning Director Michael LoGrande last year to consider a full environmental review.
“What Legado believes, based on the studies that have been done with respect to (138 Culver Blvd.) any and all identifiable impacts can and will be mitigated,” Reznik said. “Therefore, a full EIR is not legally required.”
Patricia Lyon, who chairs the planning and land use committee, said the earliest that Legado could be placed on the committee’s agenda again is in September.
Reznik said his client will be ready to address any public concerns. “I’m very confident that we will have a very attractive project that will be acceptable (to the committee),” the attorney stated.
Burnett said she expects the developer’s subsequent presentation to be drastically different than the one that was shown at the July 16 meeting.
“I would hope to see some sign that they have listened to the community and that they have come up with a solution for parking and traffic in Playa del Rey,” she said.
Gary@ArgonautNews.com.

10 Comments

I love “we’ll have responses to everything that was raised at the meeting.” Note the lawyer-speak: they’ll have responses, not solutions. They just don’t get it. Why are developers always so blind with greed? Is it genetic? Loathsome people. Just can’t wait to screw up everyone else’s lives in order to line their own pockets.

This doesn’t even match the feel of Playa del Rey. Whomever designed this did not have the surrounding community in mind. Any designer should understand that when designing something you are supposed to be innovative and allow the surrounding area to flow with your designs-not an eye sore. This is really disappointing and I would hate for Playa del Rey to turn into the rest of Los Angeles – crowded -unorganized and materialistic. Playa del Rey is a diamond in the rough and is a humble beachfront neighborhood. Its simplicities are what make it so charming and its local and “neighborhood feel” are what make it home to many. I live in Playa and this would most definitely discourage me from staying.

No one else here seems to want it. There are a few that want it but they seem to be people that own property on culver or their friends. It will make their property more valuable if they can build more rentable space. Building taller by over 20+ feet greater than any other buildings on the street. Outlaws, The Dunes, the Shack block, Gordon’s & Matillas. Jakes lot is just the start. It’s not what I want to see. I like the small town feel that’s why I moved here. I don’t want town to feel like a canyon. There’s 100’s of millions of dollars at stake so they will probably get what they want. I’ve been to a few town council meetings and you can’t help but feel that some money has been spread around. It’s a shame that they’re going to complete change in the feel of our town. Make parking even worse. Replace ocean views with 55+ foot buildings and tying up traffic. I’m a local resident and I’d like to see something built there. Not 55+ feet something in the low 30’s like everything else. The only reason this is happening is because Edward Czuker of B.H. has decided to use all his power and money to turn our town into his personnel cash register. Personally I’ll never do business with anyone that rents there and try to talk every one out of renting an apartment there. I’m not the only one that’s saying that. Once a gene we see how money corrupts and ruins things. It’s sad it was a nice small town.

Looks as fake as Valencia up north. Soul less granite counter tops and traffic hell. Look at the dopes that drive 50 through town now. Add 72 apartments to that and someone will get smogs shed for sure. No one wants a towering stucco monument to mediocrity.

First off there are no ocean views to ruin. You cant see the ocean from anywhere, just a ugly fence and a row of out of town cars double parked. Does anyone really want Jake’s lot to stay a dirt lot? I’m all for improvement and right now this area needs a face-lift of some sort. We could use a good places to eat because Outlaws/Mo’s /the Shack and Prince o Whales are watering holes with pub grub. New world order is coming and get with it or move to parcel in Topanga.

Trust me. When you live at the beach, the last thing you want are “inlanders” flocking to your area taking up parking and congesting the entire neighborhood. This will be the end of PDR as anyone has known it. I lived in the Jungle for 13+ years. Repel parking structures and big retail as long as you can.

Big development in a small town ruins the whole character of the community. Seen it happen in Santa Monica.Lived there over 25 years and big money destroyed it.No parking, traffic congestion, uptight people, high rents, now a train will be rolling through fromLa to the beach bringing more people in to Santa Monica.Where there is to many people in a small town brings crime and high stress levels.

110 years ago the Jake’s Lot was bustling with train tracks, the Pacific Electric Red Trolley car (why Trolleyway got its name) to Redondo Beach, The Venice Short line, the Pacific Electric from Los Angeles brought flocks of folks to the Beach of the King aka Playa del Rey. The time is NOW to Honor and Respect our “Diamond in the Rough” historic and long history, to restore and revive that Century of history that developed our little gem into what it is today…It was once referred to as “The Last Three Miles of Beach”, Bring back a Red Car Trolley museum or restaurant, not 56 feet of more congestion!!